has all but petered out.

Meteorologists had been tracking the weather system since the beginning of last week, believing that it could bring Bermuda its first hurricane of the year.

But the latest information from the Bermuda Weather Service shows that winds within the storm have dropped from 65 knots to just 35 knots, with occasional gusts up to 45 knots.

And although forecasters believe that the storm could be just 220 nautical miles off Bermuda by Wednesday morning, its direction suggests that it will not come much closer to the Island.

A spokesman for the Bermuda Weather Service said: "Tropical Storm Alex has degenerated into a weak trough along 61 west longitude between 19 north and 27 north latitude.'' The National Weather Service said reports from an Air Force hurricane-chasing plane indicated Alex was producing little more than a few showers and locally gusty winds.

Alex still was about 300 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands when the storm began dissipating, forecasters said.

Although the storm is not expected to reach Bermuda, the associated cold front will bring thundery weather conditions to the Island for the next few days.

SLOW DEATH -- Tropical Storm Alex's likely track is shown on this map drawn up by the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. The dotted line shows the storm's likely course up to Wednesday morning, while the full line shows its actual course up to yesterday. Alex began to peter out yesterday, with its winds dropping below tropical storm levels.

Graphic file name: MAPP2